


Angel in disguise

by Lady_Tania



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Grumpy Daryl Dixon, M/M, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2019-11-16 03:14:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18086408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Tania/pseuds/Lady_Tania
Summary: At last, a place to call home.





	1. Epilogue

Epilogue

Most of the group I left Atlanta with are already dead. They told us it was a safe haven, but once we got there, the city was already overrun with walkers. We barely made it out alive ourselves and lost some good people that day. But that’s just something we need to live with these days. Treasure each moment together for it could be our last. So that’s what we do. I’m Elisabeth, a 28y old woman travelling with 2 female companions, Ilona and Maria, friends who were with me once the outbreak started. We lived near the city, in one of the surrounding villages and together with some other people from our neighborhood, we decided to make the trip to Atlanta after speaking to some travelers who were heading that way too.

Once we arrived at the city borders, it was clear we wouldn’t find a safe haven in this city. The walkers were roaming the streets and we had not enough ammo or fighters to fight our way out. Many of our travelling companions died that day, since they wanted to stay in the city and quickly got surrounded by groups of walkers. I can still hear their screams while we fled away. We parted with the remainder of the survivors who were with us that day and went off with the three of us.

Since Atlanta, we travelled from place to place, scavenging whatever food we could find and rest where we could. We were heading towards Washington DC, we heard there were communities over there where we could be safe. After months, perhaps even a year on the run, we were begging for a place to rest. I became quite skilled with a bow and Maria was already skilled with a gun, but since ammo is running short, she needs to save them for dire moments. Ilona was a nurse before all this and worked in a local hospital. She provided us with enough medical supplies and medicines when we went on the run.

Right now, we were staying in a cabin in the woods, which was relatively free of walkers. We were near the city of Rose Hill, so almost at our destination. We didn’t stumble across many people, since we tried to avoid walking through towns and stay hidden in the woods. So far, we were very lucky not to run into hordes of walkers or other people who had bad intentions. Unfortunately, we did have our share of the latter. They tried to rob us of our belongings or worse. We were always able to run or even kill them, but only if we had to. During our journey from Atlanta to Rose Hill, we killed several walkers and a few people who wanted to do the same to us. This is how things go these days; kill or get killed.

We decided to make our camp here since we have a pretty clear view on our surroundings since the house was built on a clearing in the forest and we are quite sheltered thanks to the surrounding woods. Maria often sits on the roof with her rifle and makes sure we are safe from any harm. If walkers or people would find us, we would have a safe place on the attic which we were able to secure. It’s a hidden place which barely fits the three of us and we have to crawl to get through the small door, but the space can be locked several times from the inside and is due to the same materials as the rest of the wall as good as invisible. We only discovered it by chance since the small door was a bit ajar and we thought it was a loose plank hiding some supplies.

We were running very low on food, so I realized I had to go hunting today. Or go on a scavenger run to find something to eat. Maria will keep an eye on the domain while I’m gone hunting, looking out for hordes which could head our way. I went inside and picked up my bow and quiver and headed into the woods. I quietly moved forward, trying not to attract any unwanted attention from walkers. I’m always weary when walking through the forest, you never know what you might come across. I checked some of my snares and fortunately, I caught a rabbit and a squirrel. After putting them in my backpack, I went deeper into the woods to see if I could catch something else. Unfortunately, no animals were found anymore and I decided to head back to our camp. I noticed some rustling near me and immediately hold up my bow in case it was a walker. Nothing approached me so I stepped back cautiously. I stayed like this for several minutes until I decided it was probably the wind or a wild animal I probably scared off and went back to our camp.

Back at the camp nothing special had happened. Ilona took the backpack out of my hands and started skinning the animals I found in the snares. Maria was still on lookout on the roof and gave me a welcoming nod once she saw me. I entered the cabin and put away my bow. Ilona was still cleaning and skinning the animals I caught earlier and I went to get some water from the well near the cabin. The location we were staying at provided us with many necessities and we were debating to stay here a while longer or even permanently if we couldn’t find the community near Washington DC. We didn’t have much luxury here, we were sleeping in our sleeping bags on the ground and barely had enough food for the three of us, but there was water and plenty of wood we could use to keep us warm by making a fire. However, the need for more security kept us on edge each day. We were a group of three young women, who could be easily robbed or overpowered by a bigger group. We could only hope the community near Washington would let us in and more important, let us stay.

 After getting the firewood, I walked near the borders of the forest to check for walkers, a gun in hand, but the area was safe for now. I signaled the “all clear” signal to Maria and she confirmed all was safe too. I went to rest, since I had to keep watch this night. Ilona woke me up after some hours and I was greeted with the smell of fresh made stew. Ilona did know how to make a nice stew with a bare minimum of ingredients. The sun had already set, leaving a orange-red glow in the sky, in contrast with the white clouds which looked like a herd of sheep. I crept through the window on the attic to the roof, took the rifle near the window and took post where Maria sat earlier. I scanned the area for walkers or other movements, but all was still. I did hear the roar of an engine, but it sounded far away. Too far for me to see which vehicle the sound was coming from, but I guess it came from a motorcycle.

I could see the skyline from Washington in the distance, the sun setting behind the city, leaving the buildings look like black blocks in front of an orange sky. It was stunning, even considering the circumstances we were living in. Maybe that’s the main reason things we noticed things like this, since each one could be our last. You never know what tomorrow might bring, if you were lucky enough to live until the next day that is. I watched until the sun was gone, leaving the sky pitch black, revealing a sky full of stars.


	2. A safe place

During the night, Maria came upstairs to switch posts with me. She slept for several hours and now it was my turn to sleep. Ilona never did much guard duty, since she’s not very good with the riffle and she couldn’t see that well in the dark. None of us three could do that very well, but since she needed glasses to see, we decided to let her sleep en keep guard by day. I gave the riffle to Maria, told her nothing special happened this night and went downstairs to sleep until sunrise.

The golden rays of sun shone upon my face when I woke up, waking me in a gentle way. Lily woke up as well and went to switch places with Maria. I looked into the cabinets but couldn’t find anything to eat anymore. I had to go hunting again, we ran out of food entirely. I called Maria and Ilona downstairs to tell them about our current stock levels. “We need to go on a supply run soon.” I started the conversation. Maria and Ilona nodded in agreement. “I know Lizzy, when I wanted to make the stew yesterday, I used up our last cans of vegetables.” Ilona added. Maria seemed to be in a pensive mood. “I will try to find some game today, check the snares, perhaps if I’m lucky, I’ll stumble across something bigger.” I suggested. “Not too far from here, there are some houses I could see in the distance when I kept watch. We didn’t go there to get supplies, perhaps we could go over there? We could use the woods to cover us instead of using the main roads.” Maria informed us. It seemed like a pretty good idea. Hopefully, the houses weren’t looted already and with some luck, they were neglected like the cabin we are currently staying in. “We should leave as soon as possible so we will have more time until sunset. Perhaps we should leave right away.” I suggested. “Ok, let me gather my stuff and I’m going to hide the riffle on the attic. Just in case we get robbed on the way.” Maria replied. Ilona gathered a minimum on medical supplies and hid the rest of it on the attic as well, in our hidden closet.

We were ready to go and made sure the cabin was locked and protected against walkers or other intruders. Maria guided the way through the forest to the houses we saw in the distance. Once in a while, we stumbled across a lone walker, but we killed them off easily. I preferred to shoot them with an arrow, since it made less noise and we could recuperate the arrow. Arrows were easier to come by than bullets these days. We were approaching the houses and hid in the bushes, since we could see people walking around in the distance, but couldn’t see if they were walkers or human. We kept a low profile and observed them. A pickup truck was being loaded with several supplies they found in the houses and we could see another group loading the last pieces into a black van. It was fully stuffed with supplies, so chances would be really small there was something left for us. We heard some shouting, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Ilona stayed behind while Maria and I crept closer towards the group. We were 100% sure they were all human now, they cleared the area themselves and we could see several corpses on the streets from walkers they had killed.

The group consisted of mostly men, but a few women were helping with scavenging supplies as well. As far as we could tell, they were well-armed, each carrying at least a gun and a knife. Maria and I observed them some more from our hiding spot. The group consisted of several people, they had a leader who had curly brown hair and a set jaw. He seemed friendly towards his companions but resolute in his decisions, all members of the group treated him with respect and looked up to him. A black woman exited one of the houses, sheathing her sword behind her back. _‘Damn she looks badass!’_ I thought to myself. There were some other people in the distance, but I couldn’t make out how they looked since they were already too far. A sudden noise nearby startled us. It was the roar of an engine from a motorcycle with a scruffy looking guy riding it. He didn’t notice us, but he came way too near. We kept as quiet as we could so we wouldn’t draw their attention. The scruffy looking guy drove towards his companions and shut down the engine. We heard him talking towards the stern looking man and apparently, they were in some sort of a discussion. “We should go now!” Mina silently said. She was right, I had a bad feeling about this. Perhaps they were in an argument and about to shoot each other any moment. Before we could make any movement, all their faces turned our direction and they raised their guns or other weapons. “Step out of the bushes, hands in the air!” The stern man shouted. ‘”Shit!” Maria and I said in unison. Clearly they found out where we were.

We both stepped out of our hiding place with our weapons facing the blue sky. I tried to look for several ways out, but chances were small we would survive this encounter if we fled or fought. “Who are you and why were you spying on us?” The stern man asked us, not too unfriendly. “My name’s Elisabeth and this is my friend Maria.” I started but was soon interrupted by the scruffy looking man. “Ya were spyin’ on us! I saw ya in the bushes, I saw ya sittin’ there.” He started. “We weren’t spying on you!” I shouted and the scruffy looking man snorted. “It’s not what you think! It was bad luck for us to find you here. We didn’t expect anyone to be here at all, or at least we hoped so…” I admitted. The scruffly looking man said nothing and the stern looking man continued. “Then what were you doing over there?” He asked us again. “We were looking for supplies, we ran out of food and supplies entirely and we saw these houses from a distance. We hoped we would find some food here, but when we arrived, we saw you guys were already here with vans full of stuff. So that’s why we stayed hidden. We still don’t know what your intentions are and I guess they’re not that good if you’re still pointing your guns at us!” I added, more agitated than I wanted to be. The stern looking man lowered his gun at my remark and soon everyone did, except for the scruffy looking man. He was still holding up his crossbow, ready to fire if necessary. “I understand, did you come from far? I’m Rick by the way, Rick Grimes and these are my people, my family.” He told me. “Yes, Maria and I were on the road for a while now and wanted to make camp here.” I lied, also leaving out the fact Ilona was still out there. “You’re lying!” The scruffy looking man shouted, pointing his crossbow in my direction. “We can’t know for sure Daryl.” Rick tried to calm him, but the scruffy looking man interrupted him again. “Look at ‘em Rick, they’re way too clean to be on the road! They’re lying, so why should we trust ‘em. There might be other people from their group lookin’ for ‘em, this might as well just be a trap!” He shouted and held his bow in my direction. Rick was silent for a while and in a pensive mood. After contemplating something, he continued. “Alright, I’m going to ask you one more time and I want you to be honest. You’ll be happy if you did and sorry if you weren’t.” Rick started. “Where did you come from, how did you get here and how many people are out there in your group?” He continued, his gaze intense to see our facial expressions.

 


	3. Visitors

I turned to Maria and we both agreed it would be safest to tell the truth. “We are a group of three travelling women, we are staying in a cabin not far from here. Like your friend noticed, we do have clean clothes because we have access to fresh water from a well nearby. We didn’t want to tell you because we still don’t know about any of your intentions and in times like these, it’s not exactly safe for a group of women alone to admit this.” I directed my last words to the women in their group and some nodded in agreement. “I wasn’t lying when I told you we came here to find some supplies, but when we saw you were already here, we panicked, afraid a situation like this could happen and we kept hidden and quiet until you were gone. We don’t have any supplies on us and the only weapons we have are now above our heads. I hoped you would have missed some supplies so we could take them back home.” I explained and the scruffy looking man lowered his bow. “We’re ya’ other friend?” He asked. I didn’t know if I could answer this without lying, for I had no idea where she was right now. “She is still behind, probably hiding somewhere in that direction.” I pointed to where Maria and I came from and left Ilona behind. Daryl immediately went into that direction, bow in hand and I knew what he was going to do. “I think it’s best if Maria or I go with you, Ilona doesn’t know you and she might run in panic.” I tried to stop him. He thought about this for a while and answered. “Aight, but don’t pull any tricks on me for I WILL kill you.” He stared at me coldly and I nodded in agreement.

 

We both went to where we left Ilona and I shouted her name as quietly as possible when we came near her hiding spot near the rose bushes. We heard some rustling in the bushes and instinctively, I went near hoping to see Ilona until a walker suddenly jumped up and attacked me. I screamed and tried to shove it off, but he had a firm grip. I couldn’t reach my knife and his rotten face came closer to mine until suddenly he went limp. I shoved him off me immediately and saw Daryl had shot him in the head, the bolt still between his eyes. “Thank you.” I said to Daryl, still shaking from the adrenaline rush. He said nothing and went to the walker to pull the arrow out of his head. “This ya’ friend?” He asked me and I didn’t know if he was mocking me or not. “We’re looking for a young woman near my age, not a middle-aged man who was obviously dead for a while.” I sneered at him and continued looking for Ilona. She wasn’t there anymore, but the walker we just killed didn’t get to her either. I looked behind the bushes and saw she left a piece of clothing behind, a piece of the shawl she wore. “She’s not here…” I stated and looked around for clues. Daryl was quietly investigating the area until he found something. “She walked this way.” He pointed towards the woods. “How do you know?” I asked him, for I didn’t find any clue at all, except for the piece of the shawl. “I can see her tracks coming from the bushes and there was another trail as well, probably of the walker I just shot.” He explained. “Who are you exactly? Lassie?” I joked but he didn’t seem amused by my remark at all. “I’ve been huntin’ all my life. Nothin’ stays hidden for me too long, as ya’ might have noticed earlier.” He snapped back and I grew quiet.

  
After a while I broke the silence. “I hope well find her. She’s a good person, she helped so many people before all this.” I said and drifted into thoughts about Ilona. “What did she do?” Daryl asked and I wasn’t sure if the silence made him uncomfortable as well or if he was genuinely interested. “She was a nurse at the local hospital. It wasn’t very big, but she did an amazing job for our town. She saved multiple lives and I would really hate myself if something happened to her because we left her behind.” I informed him, tears welling up in the corner of my brown eyes. “Why did you leave her behind?” He asked and he sounded angry. “She can’t defend herself very well. She’s only skilled with a knife, but she can’t fire a bow or handle a gun. Don’t know if she’s just scared or really can’t do it. This ain’t something you admit when you meet a couple of strangers. We still don’t know what you’ll do to us.” I defended myself. “Rick is a good guy, he won’t hurt ya, or your friends. In fact, I think he has other plans.” Daryl replied, less angry but not giving away anything about what was going to happen to us. Suddenly we came to a place which looked very familiar, we were near our cabin. “Ilona must have run back to here. This is the cabin I told you about.” I told him but he didn’t seem too surprised, which gave me a very weird feeling in my stomach. ‘Did he know about this place and since how long?’ I wanted to ask him until something else got my attention entirely. The cabin didn’t look as we left it, since the doors and windows were open and stuff which was in the cabin laid outside on the grass. I practically ran towards the clearing until Daryl stopped me by pulling me back by my arm. “Stop, we should wait until we know who’s there.” He said. We didn’t have that much time, looking in the forest and tracking Ilona already took a while and I could see it wouldn’t take too long before the sun would set. We only had a few hours left. “We don’t have time!” I cried out and pulled free from his grip. With great haste, I ran towards the cabin, Daryl following close and was shocked to see the inside of the cabin. Everything was broken or gone. All the supplies were gone, several pieces of furniture missing and this was not something Ilona would have done. I ran upstairs to our “saferoom” in the attic but all our stuff was still there.

 

They didn’t find our hidden place where we kept our stuff, I was even more certain this wasn’t Ilona’s work. “Looks like someone looted the place.” Daryl noticed and I went limp, falling on my knees to the ground. “Yeah, this wasn’t Ilona. Pretty sure of that.” I silently said, worrying about my best friend. “We’ll search the woods near the cabin, perhaps she’s hiding ov’r there. She might’ve seen them here and hid herself.” Daryl suggested and I hoped he was right. We left the cabin and searched near the outskirts of the clearing. According to Daryl, there was no sign of her, but he did found some other tracks. He suspects a group with some kind of a van found the cabin, since there were several sizes of footsteps leading towards the cabin and there were tire trails near the cabin. That’s were our stuff probably went. “I don’t think they’ll come back.” Daryl added and we walked to the cabin. “Why do you think that?” I asked him. “They already looted the place and know there’s nothing here. When you left it, there was barely a sign someone lived here, which was a good move to hide your stuff like that.” He added approvingly. “I want to wait here for her, perhaps she’ll come back.” I told him and he nodded. “Aight, I’m staying too.” He said and dropped his crossbow in the living space. “Better lock this place up again.” He said and started barring the windows and door.

  
I went outside to gather some wood and brought a bucket of water with me as well. When I was inside, he barred up the door so we would be safe for the night. I went upstairs to our safezone and got our sleeping bags and supplies. “Here.” I handed Daryl one of our sleeping bags and a cup of water after. “Thanks.” He replied and started to set up his sleeping place. I started making a fire to keep us warm during the night. “Who’s keeping guard first?” I asked the scruffy looking man in front of me. For the first time, I could look at his face and I noticed he had light blue eyes. Even looking so disheveled, he was still a handsome man. “What’re lookin’ at?” He suddenly growled. “You, obviously?” I remarked in a very sarcastic way. “Like what ya see? He asked me, his face still a scowl. “I’ve seen worse, perhaps if you took a bath…” I joked and he snorted. “Ya could use one yourself.” He replied, not sure if he was insulted or joking as well. Anyway, I found his reply funny and couldn’t help myself laughing. The ice was finally broken between us and we talked about our lives before the walkers took over. I learned he had a brother, who already died on the journey and his name was Merle. I told him I worked at the office as PR representative for our company and worked on several marketing campaigns, which Daryl admitted he didn’t know since he didn’t like going to the city. We kept on talking for a while until my stomach growled really hard. “Ya hungry?” He asked me. “Yeah, but we don’t have anything here anymore. Even before they looted the place.” I told him, the growling getting even worse. He took his backpack and pulled out some cans which he went to open in our small kitchen. He came back with an old and half broken pan and placed it on the fire so its contents could heat up. It didn’t smell very good but my nose welcomed the scent of food. I wanted to prepare the dinner table until I remembered it lay broken on the grass outside. I walked towards the kitchen to see if I could find some plates or cutlery, but all the cabinets were empty. “Guess we’ll have to eat with our hands…” I said, disappointed and angry that our stuff was stolen until I remembered these weren’t even ours and belonged to someone else. Daryl stood up again and took the pan from the fire, the food inside actually smelled good after a while. “What is it?” I asked him. “Some pressed beef and vegetables. Beggars can’t be choosers, princess.” He informed me and his last remark lingered in my head. So that’s probably how he saw me, as a spoiled little princess. I was lost in thought for a while until Daryl made me snap out of it. “Here.” He placed the pan between us and started to carefully pick out some pieces of meat and eat it. Things like this used to disgust me back in the days, but since we have no other options, it would have to do.   

  
I took a small piece of meat and carefully put it in my mouth, to see if I liked the taste. It wasn’t that bad actually. I didn’t know it was really good or just because I was so hungry, but I greedily took another one. Daryl was staring at me, probably disgusted by my unladylike manners. “Ya’ like it?” He asked me while he was chewing on a piece of meat. Clearly he forgot all his table manners as well. “Yeah, it’s pretty good actually!” I admitted with a smile on my face. He seemed pleased at that and when he saw the pan was nearly empty, he stopped eating and left it for me. I really appreciated the gesture and thanked him. “So, did ya’ stay here long?” He asked me. “We were here for quite a while, don’t know exactly how long, but perhaps a few weeks.” I replied and he seemed to overthink something. “What’s wrong?” I asked him. “I already saw ya’, came huntin’  and looking for some game, but instead I found ya’ snares and followed the trail back to your cabin.” He finally admitted. “So that’s why you know we were lying?” I asked, or perhaps just stated the obvious. “Yeah… But I get why ya’ did it. It was a smart thing to do.” He replied, looking at me intently. “I couldn’t put my friends in danger.” I stated and he nodded. “I appreciate it.” He suddenly said.

  
“What do you appreciate?” I asked him, curious what he meant. His eyes didn’t leave mine when he spoke next. “Loyalty is a rare thing’ these days. I appreciate ya’ for being loyal to ya’ friends and tryin’ to protect them. That’s what makes ya’ family.” He quietly said, looking down when he was done talking. “What are you planning to do with us, are you going to kill us?” I asked him, a bit afraid what the answer might be.  “Nah, not sure, but I think Rick wants ya’ll to join us. We could use the help.” He stated, clearly not sure what Rick wanted either. “Join you? Do you have a group out there?” I asked him. “Yeah, we live near Washington DC, in Alexandria.” He replied and the penny dropped. “So you’re from the community we heard from?” I asked him, a tad too happy and his face turned into a frown. “You heard from ‘us?” He asked me, suddenly growing tense. “Yeah, from people we met on the road. They told me they heard from a community near Washington, but they were travelling in another direction, saying Washington was overrun with walkers and way too dangerous.” I replied.  Daryl still seemed unsettled by what I just told him. “What’s wrong?” I asked him, worried by his mood. “I don’t like the idea that people know about us.” He admitted and started fumbling with his arrows. I understood why he was so tense, you can’t trust anyone these days. Looking around in the cabin was proof of that. People would just pillage whatever they could, whatever the cost.

 

We sat together in silence for a while and I stared into the fire, my mind drifting off to Ilona. I really hoped she was ok, we didn’t hear anything from her. Perhaps Rick and the others found her and hopefully, she was safe with Maria. I thought about the plundering of our cabin and I got chills running through me, afraid they would come back. According to Daryl, there were quite some people here, so we were outnumbered. “Who’s keeping watch?” I asked him again. “I will, go get some sleep.” He said, loading his crossbow just in case. I nestled my sleeping bag near the open fire which felt quite cozy and welcome, since it was a cold night. I started drifting off and soon fell asleep.  
After a few hours, the air around me felt cold, the fire must have gone out. I didn’t feel cold though, which was rare since we always needed extra blankets on cold nights like these. I also smelled some unfamiliar scent and curiously opened my eyes. I was still in my sleeping bag and somewhere during the night, Daryl has laid his blanket over me to keep me warm and I really appreciated the gesture. It smelled musky and like nature, just like he did actually. He was near the door keeping guard, but he didn’t notice me waking up. “Should I keep guard now?” I asked him. “Nah, I’m fine. Go back to sleep.” He replied as gentle as he could. Still in a sleepy haze, it didn’t take long until I fell asleep again.  
Rain fell upon the roof of the cabin the next morning, which caused me to wake up in a most pleasant way. I looked around the cabin and noticed Daryl was gone. I got out of my sleeping bag and looked out of the window, no sign of him outside either. I started to grow a little anxious, I hope he was ok. I got dressed and went to the attic to keep watch. It was still early in the morning, the early morning sun rose slowly above the trees surrounding the cabin, shrouding me in a soft golden veil. I saw something approaching from the bushes near the clearing and readied my rifle until I saw a familiar face coming out.

  
It was Daryl, carrying something over his shoulder, but I couldn’t make out what it was from this far. He seemed in a good mood for he was kind of smiling. He noticed me on the roof and gave me a short nod to say hi. I waved back and went downstairs as soon as he approached the cabin. Once I was downstairs, I saw he went hunting for he was carrying several small animals on his back. Especially squirrels. “Where did you find them?” I asked him, for he had more game from one run than I had in a week. “Ya’ need to know where to look.” He stated and seemed amused I was astonished by his skills.      
I’ve been hunting for quite a while now, but I never came home with that amount of game. Not even on better days and I had the feeling things wouldn’t improve, for the climate was changing. Winter was coming and it could only mean  things would get even harder. The warmth and light of the fires would attract more walkers and the smoke coming out of the chimney would attract people. I doubt even our secluded cabin would stay unnoticed in those conditions. Now people found us, I’m even more convinced we should move somewhere else, in case they would come back. Hopefully, Daryl’s community would take us in, it would be our salvation. We were very lucky until now, coming across a limited amount of Walkers and people.

  
I helped Daryl take the animals of his back and placed them near the remaining pieces of our small kitchen. We would have food for some days judging by the look of them. “We will leave some for Ilona, should she come back.” Daryl said. “What? Should she come back? Aren’t we staying until she returns?” I asked him, a little agitated. “Don’t know if ya’ been outside sunshine, but there ain’t no water anymore. Nothin’ we can drink anyway.” He explained. I couldn’t believe it, we had a well in the back. There should be plenty of water! I ran outside to see what he meant and was disgusted when I looked down into the well. There was a Walker rotting inside, so indeed, we couldn’t use the water anymore. I ran back inside and Daryl looked at me to see my reaction. “Was he there yesterday?” I asked him, afraid we drank infected water. “No, I noticed him this morning’.” He told me and I realized we couldn’t stay here anymore. The only things keeping us here were slowly falling apart, we had no more fresh water, our cabin was discovered and looted by other people and I barely caught anything lately. Which led us to finding supplies elsewhere.  
“What about Ilona?” I asked him, feeling worried about my friend should she return. “We’ll leave a warning at the well, so she won’t drink of it.” He said and went outside. After a while, he returned and I noticed there was paint on his hands. “Left the warning.” He simply said and started packing his stuff. I gathered what was left of our supplies and put them in my backpack, leaving the bare minimum for Ilona, should she return. We left the cabin and I looked behind, looking at our home for the past months and realized this was probably the last time I would ever come here.

 

We walked back towards the site where we first met Daryl’s group and Daryl started moving some branches. I wanted to ask him what he was doing, but I soon realized he was taking his motorcycle out of its hiding place. I looked quite worn and old, but seemed to be working pretty well and in relatively good condition. In Alexandria has to be someone who can work on them, for it wouldn’t have lasted for so long without some maintenance. “You have a mechanic in your camp?” I asked him. “Aigh’, you’re looking at ‘im.” He replied. “Did you work on them before all this?” I asked him again and he didn’t seem in the best mood to talk. “Yeah, worked on mine and my brother’s.” He replied me again and he sounded like he didn’t want a conversation about this subject.   “I always wanted to have one you know.” I tried to change to subject. “Why didn’t ya?” He asked me.  
“My parents thought it was too dangerous and my mother almost got a stroke when I joked about having a boyfriend who had one.” I laughed and soon started to think about my parents and wondered how they were doing, if they even were alive. “They didn’t like it?” He asked me. “No not really, even if it was just a joke. But our relationship didn’t last very long so they soon forgot about it. I didn’t even introduce him to them.” I replied him. “Why? Did they think you were too good for him?” He asked and I wondered why he kept talking about the subject. “I don’t know, we were only dating for a couple of weeks and apparently, it was nothing serious. He was dating other women while he was dating me, so that’s pretty much that. I didn’t have a relationship since then. I don’t think my parents would find it proper dating a guy with a motorcycle, they’re kinda old-fashioned.” I answered him, explaining why my parents wouldn’t approve. “Piss on proper! Look how far it got their littl’ princess, having to stick around someone beneath their standards to keep her alive.” He replied, his anger flaring up again and I grew silent. Not because I was afraid he would hurt me physically, but because the memory of my parents hurt so much more, not knowing where they are.

  
“I didn’t mean it like that.” He said after seeing how sad I looked after what he just said. “You did. You keep complaining about people who had it better than you did, calling them names and seeing them as stupid. We lived very different lives, in very different conditions and you’re the stupid one if you can’t see we ALL had to adapt to our situation. Some people were born privileged, other people had to work hard to maintain their status. What seems like a stupid office job to you, might be someone’s income or perhaps even a dream.” I snapped back and him and when he tried to say something, I cut him off again. “I don’t think anyone is beneath me, everyone has their own lifestyle. Life would be boring if we would all be the same and narrow minded like some people are.” I said the last sentence extra loud so he would notice I was directing it to him. “Yer’ right, I am. But you don’t know the hardship my brother and I went through. Perhaps you had a lovin’ family, while our dad beat us to shit when he was drunk again. You didn’t come home to see yer’ house blazin’ with ya’ mom still inside because she passed out drunk with her cigarette in bed.” He snapped back at me.  
He’s been through a lot, I could see that clearly since the first day I met him. It also explained why he had scars from cigarette burns on his arms. God knows what he might have been through and I was getting chills from just thinking about it. Neither of us was going to apologize to the other, so we stayed silent for a while and let each other’s words sink in.

  
He got on his motor and broke the silence. “Hop on.” He just said and I hesitated before I climbed behind him on this metal-like horse. It took me a while before I was seated well and noticed I had nothing to hold on to. He noticed my awkwardness on this machine and tried to help me. “Hold on to me, I’ll make sure yer’ safe. If you wanna’ stop, lemme’ know. I’ll try to stop if I can.” He assured me, but I still felt very awkward. I hesitated when I wrapped my arms around his waist and I felt him tense up too. I could feel his abdomen cringe under his vest and shirt and I felt even more uncomfortable.  “You ok?” I asked him, surprised I blurted that out. “Yeah, funny thing yer’ asking me, shaking of fear yerselve.” He joked, trying to laugh away the fact he was tense too. I wondered if I was tense because of the new sensation of being on a motorcycle or because it was with a guy I barely knew. Or perhaps it was the combination of both which excited me. He started the engine and we were on our way. I felt the wind on my skin when we drove towards our new destination, wherever that might be, but I never felt as free as I felt right now. "Is it always like this?" I asked him, hoping he could hear me over the roar of the engine. "What is?" He loudly asked me and I wondered if he heard me well the first time. I leant closer toward him, my chin on his right shoulder so I could easily reach his right ear and I asked him "Feeling this free? I feel like a bird soaring the skies!" I lightly said, feeling like a kid on a swing. He flinched at my touch and didn't seem to be comfortable having my face so close, I felt his muscles clench again and I decided to keep some distance to make him feel more comfortable. "Yeah, it pretty much is, that's why I like it so." He replied me and I could almost see him smile. We drove for a while until we saw some houses in the distance, surrounded by big walls made of wood and metal plates. 


	4. Welcome to Alexandria

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last, a place to call home.

Daryl stopped in front of a big metal gate and I could see some people standing on the walls, surveing the area around the community. He didn't say anything, but the people inside the walls seemed to recognize him immediately. "Open up, it's Dixon! Go get Rick, he brought someone with him!" I hear the guy on top of the wall shout towards someone behind the gate. Soon the metal gate was opened for us and Daryl drove us inside, where we saw Rick running towards us. "Welcome back friend!" Rick greeted Daryl and he just gave him a nod, it was just Daryl's way of communicating I guess. Several people joined the group surrounding us, especially keeping an eye on me. Rick approached me and reached out his hand, which I shaked. "You're most welcome Elisabeth, welcome to Alexandria!" He warmly greeted me and looked behind, to the place they made their home. "Thank you, where is Maria?" I asked him because I couldn't find her in the crowd. "She's still looking for Ilona, I've sent some of our group with her. They will return in a couple of days." He informed me and I hoped she was alright. "We're holding a bonfire tonight, you're welcome to join us. In the meanwhile, let's find you a place to stay." Rick added and guided me to the houses of the community.

"My family and I are staying here." He pointed to the house we passed on our left. "There are still some houses unoccupied, which are located over there." He pointed to the end of the lane and a small, white-wooded cottage with a small garden caught my attention. "Is that house still available?" I asked Rick, hoping it still was. "Yeah it still is, though it might be too small for the three of you." He assured me and at the same time reminded me of Ilona and Maria. "It's perfect! Where do I sign?" I joked and I could see him smile. "The key is on the door, go make yourself comfortable, I'll send someone with supplies. I'll see you tonight." He gave me a warm smile and left. I entered the cottage and it was adorable. A nice well-equipped kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom with running and warm water and a livingspace with a nice fireplace. Although it was small, a couple of years ago, I could only dream about having a house like this. I had to rent a very small apartment which was in fact not worth it's rent. I looked around for a bit and looked outside the huge, floorlenght windows in the living space, which led to our garden. There were a few flowers, but most of the garden was in bad condition. A lot of work had to be done. I opened the windows to let in some fresh air and when I stepped outside, I noticed a tent not far from Rick's place. It was probably a playroom for the kids so they could play outside. A rosebush got my attention and I smelled at one of the roses. I missed that smell so much, my parents used to have roses in their garden and these reminded me of the ones they used to have. I noticed I was grinning like a child for just smelling them and realised I still had a lot of work to do.  

When I got back inside, I noticed someone left supplies on the kitchen counter and I started unpacking the box, wondering who had brought it without saying hello. What used to be basic supplies, like a toothbrush and toothpaste, were a luxury now and I could not believe my eyes when I saw them in the box. There was mostly food in the box, which was enough for just me to last for a couple of days and some first aid stuff like bandaids. I looked through the kitchen cabinets to see what utensils I had and where I could store the food. I found some cleaning utensils while I was doing so and seeing the house covered in dirt, I wanted to clean it. I started with the living area and noticed there was no firewood in the house, so I had to get that later if I didn't want to be cold at night. I cleaned the kitchen next and was soon done with it too. I went to one of the bedrooms and decided to sleep here. It was a kingsize double bed and the matress seemed very comfy. There were some clothes in the closets and drawers and some of them fitted me well, so I kept them in a drawer. I brought the rest to the other bedroom, where two twin beds were and placed the clothes of top of the bed. Ilona would surely fit some of them.

I made the bed so I didn't have to do so this night and before I realised it, the sun was almost gone so I had to hurry to be on time for the bonfire. I took a quick shower, but before I did so, I read the card on the washing table which asked not to waste any water. It has been weeks since I had a proper bath and I felt all the dirt coming off of me. Feeling reborn after a refreshing shower, I went to my bedroom and put on some fresh clothes. I put on some black stretchy pants, a grey top and a black linnen shirt. They felt devine and I had to pinch myself to convince me I was not dreaming. Before all this, I would've never wore these clothes, I always wore dresses or classy clothing and I had to admit this felt so much comfier. I let my hair airdry and carefully brushed through it, since it was all tangled up. After I did my hair, I used the peppermint toothpaste and brushed my teeth for almost five minutes. The pink flesh was bleeding, but I haven't felt this clean in months so I didn't care that much about the blood. I washed out the sink and went to the bonfire.

It wasn't a huge bonfire, but still enough to warm a dozen of people around it. Rick and his family were there and some faces I didn't recognize. "Hey all, this is Elisabeth and she'll be staying with us from now." Rick announced me and some people started to clap their hands and cheer. While other people gave me hesitant and even dirty looks, I tried to ignore them or do my best to seem as nice as possible. They handed me a beer and I started to talk to some of them for quite some time and I started to bond with some of them. I soon got tired of all the talking and sat down next to Daryl at the fire, who was wearing a leather jacket, armed against the cold night. He was holding some small animal in the fire to cook it and I had to admit it didn't smell that bad. "What are you cooking?" I asked him. "Rabbit." He replied shortly and took it out of the fire. I wanted to leave when he started eating so he could be at ease, but he called me. "Ya' want some?" He asked me, while he tore some meat of with his teeth and handed me his dinner. My stomach growled at the scent of the meat and I took a small bite out of it. The salty flesh touched my tongue and it felt divine. "Ya' like it?" He asked me and I nodded in agreement before I took another bite. I wanted to give him his dinner back but he wanted me to eat enough first. I took a sip of my beer and passed him my drink, which he accepted. I took another bite of the rabbit and gave the rest back to Daryl, who refused it at first until I assured him I ate enough. More people joined us at the campfire and soon we started singing songs we used to know. Except for Daryl, he just sat in silence and I was sure he was enjoying this too.

 A couple of hours (and bottles of beer) later, I started to feel cold and I got closer to the fire. The warmth of the fire was warming my front until I felt something warm on my back as well. Daryl had taken off his vest and laid it over me, to keep me warm on this cold night. "Thanks." I thanked him, but noticed the goosebumps on his arms, so I got close to him to keep him warm too. He didn't seem pleased with the proximity and I noticed some people of the group watching us, some of them secretly laughing at Daryl's awkwardness. However, I didn't want to make him regret the good deed he just did by giving me the jacket. But I was pretty sure he already did, for I felt him cringe again. I tried to keep as still as I could, so only our arms would touch eachother and the warmth soon started to feel cosy instead of awkward. Daryl seemed to be less tense too and after a while, I started to doze off. Everything around me started fading and I felt at ease for the first time in months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long waiting. Due to personal reasons, I wasn't able to write and upload anymore.   
> Please enjoy the chapters I'm going to upload!


	5. Trouble in paradise

When I woke up, the sun was already up and I noticed I was in my bedroom by studying my surroundings. I smelled a familiar musky scent in my bed, which gave me a little shock. I didn't dare to look beside me because I was afraid for what I might have done while I was drunk, but when I did, I realised the bed was empty and Daryls jacket was draped over me. I started to love the masculin, musky smell it had. I wouldn't admit it to Daryl, but his scent made me feel at ease. Suddenly I became aware of some strange tingles inside of me and I started to think about my parents, who made me feel safe too. It's been a long time since I felt this relaxed and thought about yesterday night and how I got into my bedroom. I could not recall how I came here, but I'm glad someone brought me home safely. I went downstairs and the first thing I noticed was the fireplace burning. Someone must have lit it for me and a pile of firewood was near the fireplace as well. A warmth went trough my body, knowing there are people here who care about me and I felt really happy. I went to the kitchen and something red immediately caught my eye. When I got closer, I could see a single red rose lying on top of the marble from the kitchen island. I smelled it and it smelled as divine as yesterday, although I noticed this one was much bigger than the ones in the garden. I opened the large windows leading to the garden to let in some fresh air. When the cold hit me, I got goosbumps but welcomed the fresh air. I was thinking about the things I could do today and decided I would find something to make myself useful to this community, so I went upstairs and got dressed.

Our cottage wasn't that far away from the other residents, but gave us some privacy. Walking towards the community center, I said hi to people I met yesterday until I saw Rick, who came from his porch and greeted me. "Hey, glad to see you're ok." He started the conversation. "Yeah, someone brought me home last night, I appreciate the gesture." I answered him, thinking he was the one who brought me home. "You'll have to thank Daryl for it, he's the one who brought you home last night" He replied, looking at me intently. "Oh, I'll thank him when I see him!" I told him, thinking about last night when we were keeping eachother warm. There was something on his mind, I could tell, but he seemed hesitant to tell me what's wrong. "He's a good man, been through a lot." He said and I was wondering why he was telling me this. "Yeah, he told me some things which happened." I admitted, thinking about what he told me a while ago while we were in the cabin in the woods. Rick still seemed to study me and nodded after a while. "He might be a bit grumpy, but he means well." Rick explained his behavior to me, which sounded very familiar to me. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks. Oh by the way, do you have a job for me? I really want to contribute to the community." I asked him, sincere about my intentions. We started walking toward the center, while he asked me questions. "Do you know something special or are you interested in anything in particular?" He asked me. "I worked on the Public Relations department before, working on campains. I don't think I could be of any use in that way. However, I can shoot a bow quite decently, so I could keep watch should you need someone." I answered him, realising I didn't have a lot to contribute. "We currently have enough guards. We could use some supply runners or people who can work on the fields." He told me and I thought about what I would like to do most of the available options. I wanted to be free and have some adventure, but I longed for some safety as well. Rick noticed me struggling. "You don't have to decide right away, you can think about it. Enjoy this day off and let me know your decision tomorrow." He assured me until another familiar voice interrupted our conversation. "She could come huntin' with me." Daryl made more of a statement instead of asking a question. His gaze grew intense, his blue eyes trying to find mine and I felt kind of uncomfortable. "It's up to Elisabeth to decide, she can tell me of her decision tomorrow." Rick said to Daryl and apparently I was missing something. Both men gave eachother a look I was not familiar with. Rick seemed relaxed and I got the feeling he was trying to assure Daryl as well. Daryl on the other hand seemed quite nervous, not behaving like I was used to and I wondered what was wrong. "Aight." He replied Rick, his eyes never leaving him. It seemed like the two were communicating in silence or perhaps it was just my imagination. A woman approached from afar, calling for Rick, who said goodbye as soon as he saw her coming closer and headed into her direction. Which left me alone with Daryl again.

An awkward silence passed between the two of us. "Thank you for bringing me home last night." I started the conversation, wanting to end the silence. "No problem, maybe ya' should drink less next time. Yer' not used to drinking are ya?" He replied, sounding like my dad when I came home drunk after my first party. "I used to drink a glass of wine while dining or some cocktails when I went out with friends, but I have to admit I didn't have the luxury of drinking some alcohol since we were on the run. I was also very tired last night, which might have been a bad combination." I informed him and I saw his eyes roll again. "Our littl' princess is used to better stuff, I get it." He tried to tease me, but I remembered our last conversation where he called me a princess and I didn't want us to argue anymore. "I liked the beer." I tried to change the conversation and quickly added "And the rabbit too", which made a hint of a smile appear on this face. Although he might never admit it, he cared for the people around him. Which made his grumpy behavior even a bit funny at times. I remembered Rick's words, that Daryl has been through a lot and perhaps that's why he's hesitant on becoming close to anyone.

"Would you like to join me for dinner some time?" I suddenly blurted out, before I even realised it. "Yeah sure." He replied me and I couldn't surpress a smile at his reply. "Do you have plans tonight?" I asked him. "Nah." He answered me and I wondered why he was giving me such short replies, but decided not to ask him. "I'm planning on making lasagna, do you like it?" I suggested and he nodded at my question. Several people were gathering on the central square and I realised they were going on a supply run. "Gotta go, see ya' later." Daryl said goodbye and squeezed my shoulder a bit while he said it. I watched him go towards the other people of the group, led by Rick. He mounted his motorcycle and went first trough the gates, followed by two other vehicles. The guards closed the gates and I was already hoping for their return.

I went home and started going through the options I had. I could stay in the safety of the community and work on the fields, tending to the crops and plants to provide us with food. I could also join Rick and his group on a supply run like they just did, which meant I was outside the safe harbour but I had some more freedom. Last option was going hunting with Daryl and I wondered why he suggested it. He knew I wasn't very good at tracking or finding game. I'm quite ok with my bow, but that's pretty much it. He's much better at hunting than I am and I wondered where he had learned those skills. Every option had advantages and disadvantages, so I had to be careful with my decision. I would prefer the supply runs, even if there were some risks involved and I was going to tell Rick of my decision tomorrow morning. I wondered how Daryl would take the news, but I'm pretty sure I'd more of a bother to him instead of a help. I remembered he was coming for dinner tonight and started preparing the food. I took the vegetables I needed for the lasagna and started cutting them into small pieces. I realised I had no meat to add, so it would be a vegetarian lasagna. I put a cooking pot on the fire and started to add the vegetables. After a while, the house started to smell really good and I noticed I had no mixer to mix the sauce, so I had to mush them by hand using some of the utensils in the kitchen. The tomato sauce was ready and I made the white sauce with flour, butter and milk instead of using mascarpone like I used to. I took an oventray out of one of the cupboards and started to fill it with layers of each of the pans, divided by leaves of lasagna. I topped it off with a bit of breadcrumb to have a crunchy top layer.  Dinner was ready and I only had to put the oventray in the oven when Daryl arrived. I had to wait until then, since the group was not back yet.

I wondered why such a grumpy guy had such an effect on me. I appreciated his chivalry and honesty, but most of all his loyalty towards he people the cared about. He and Rick were like brothers, having each other's backs. At the campfire, I heard stories of what happened at the  prison they stayed in and of how it was a safe place to stay until some guy named 'the Gouvernor' came along and destroyed their safe haven. I also heard stories of a farmhouse they were staying in, but which became overrun with walkers. Yet another place they had to flee from. What they had here in Alexandria was quite unique and I understood why they were so afraid they would lose this place too. I was lost in thought until I heard someone knocking at the door.

Daryl had come back from his supply run and looked even more scruffy than before. I let him in and studied him from up close. Cuts covered his hands and arms, which made me wonder what happened. "Had to break through a window." He explained and I took his hand to examine them. "Go wash them." I ordered him, not realising I was giving him a command but he did as I asked. While he was washing his hands, I took my first aid kit of of the cupboard and placed it on the counter. With his hands clean now, I could see the cuts on his hands much better and I noticed a small piece of glass in one of them. "Hold still." I said and took the tweezers out of the kit so I could gently remove the piece of glass. I put a bandaid over this cut since it bled more than the other ones and examined his hands further, turning them around using mine. I was holding his hands and something started to flutter inside of me, suddenly aware of the proximity again. Focussing on the cuts again, I found no other pieces of glass and most of the wounds didn't seem that bad. I looked up and looked straight into his intense blue eyes. I could see another cut on his face that was still bleeding, so I took a piece of damp cloth and carefully cleaned the wound. He was lucky there was no glass in there, but the cut was bleeding harder than the others. Probably because a headwound always bleeds harder than another, I read that once in a magazine. Daryl didn't seem that tense anymore, but I could see he was not entirely comfortable either. "You hungry?" I asked him while I threw away the piece of cloth and put away the first aid kid. "Yeah, what ya' cooking? Smells good." He asked me and I wondered if he remembered me telling him this morning. "Lasagna" I reminded him and he nodded.

"Have a seat." I told him and gestured towards the dining area. It was a sober table, but I tried to make it look as nice as I could by placing some candles between our plates and I put the rose I found this morning in a vase, which I put on the table as well. I hoped he wouldn't get the wrong idea out of this dinner, since I just wanted to thank him for bringing me home safely. Or at least, that's what I've been telling myself since I started preparing for dinner. Daryl took a seat and he didn't seem very comfortable, like he wanted to say something. I went back to the kitchen and put the oventray in the oven, so the lasagna could heat up. I turned around and bumped into Daryl who held something hard in his hands and it kinda hurt my ribs during the impact. "Sorry" He blurted and he seemed a bit clumsy. "Brought ya' somethin'." He added and gave me the object I bumped into. It was a bottle of Chardonnay and I could not believe it. "Oh my god! Where did you get this?" I almost shouted out of excitement. "Found it during our run today. Nothin' special." He replied, being very casual about it. "Can I open it?" I asked him with a huge smile on my face. "Sure, it's yours." He answered me and helped me open it with his Swiss knife. When he was pulling out the cork, I found two glasses of wine in the cabinet and he poured some into mine so I could taste it first. I walsed the wine into the glass, took a sniff to see if it was still good and the wine seemed in good condition. I carefully took a nip of my glass and it was the most divine I had ever tasted in months. "Ya like it?" He asked me, but I'm pretty sure he already knew the answer by just looking at my face. "Yes, thank you so much!" I squeeled like a child and gave him a hug, which made him tense up again. "No problem, I saw it and thought you might like it." He said and tried to wriggle away from me. I let go of him and poured him a glass of wine too, which he hesitated to accept. "Come on, taste it! Or is it not good enough for you?" I joked and immediately regretted it after watching him inspect the glass. He took a nip too and made a sour face. "Ya' really like this shit? I prefer some real alcohol." He snapped and I rolled my eyes. "Not everybody can appreciate it I'm afraid, just like I don't like liquor that much." I answered him and soon took another sip of my glass.

He didn't throw the contents of his glass away, but he didn't seem keen on finishing it either. "Sorry, but I don't have anything else in here. It'll taste great with the lasagna." I tried to cheer him up and realised I had to check on the oven. Fortunately, it wasn't burned and I brought the tray to the table, where I cut out a piece for both of us. Daryl emptied his plate in a couple of minutes, he looked like he hadn't eaten in months. I cut him another piece of lasagna and he ate much slower than before. "Do you like it?" I asked him and he gave me a look which spoke volumes. Lesson number one, never disturb a man while he's eating. Soon he was done with his second piece, while I was still eating my first. "Do you want some more?" I asked him and showed him there was plenty left. "Nah, I'm good, thanks." He replied and watched me finish my plate. I thought I saw a hint of a smile on his face. "What?" I asked him with a smile since he kept looking at me and it made me feel nervous. "Never saw a woman eat, that's all." He told me and I wondered if he ever took someone on a date. I didn't want to ruin the mood by asking him so I just smiled at his comment.

The evening passed while we talked and in the distance, we could see the campfire was lit again. It got colder inside too and I wondered if there was still enough wood to keep us warm. "Do you want to go?" I asked him, nodding towards the fire and he seemed to think about it. "Nah, I'm good here." He replied and I looked at the fireplace. There was still a small flame and I placed some wood on top of it to get the fire going again. After a couple of minutes, the flame started to consume the blocks above and we saw it growing. The room soon got a little warmer as well. "Where do you stay?" I asked him, curious where he was living. "Over there", he replied me and pointed outside the big windows. "You're sleeping in that tent?!" I shouted at him and he seemed surprised by my outburst. "So what? I like it!" He snapped back at me. "DARYL DIXON, it's almost winter, you're not sleeping outside anymore! You will be sick if you do!" I angrily replied. "Guess wha' princess, nobody ever cared before and I did fine all these years, didn't I?" He snapped at me again. "I CARE!!" I shouted, way harder than I initially planned to and it silenced the both of us. What was supposed to be a nice dinner ended up in an argument again. "Listen, as long as Ilona and Maria are not here, you can stay in their room. There's enough space for the both of us so we won't be in each others way." I suggested but he didn't seem interested in my offer. "I should be going, it's gettin' late." He said and left without saying goodbye.

 

The next morning I went to Rick to inform him about my decision. He seemed pleased with my choice and Daryl wasn't that far away to hear what we were talking about. He didn't say anything but I could see his mood darken. Rick introduced me to the group I was joining for the supply run and I was kinda relieved Daryl was not going with us. We soon left and went to a town not that far from Alexandria. We looted what we could find, mostly cans and some of them were already expired, but we were happy we found something. I noticed a necklace in the accessory department which was silver and had a silver and black pendant in the shape of a motorcycle. I immediately thought of Daryl and took the necklace with me. The town was relatively free of Walkers and the few who were there, were easily killed off by Michonne and me. I retrieved and cleaned the arrows I shot through their heads so I could use them again later on. I liked Michonne, she says exactly what's on her mind and I admire her. Michonne saw me take the necklace and gave me a look. "What? It's a gift." I told her and she started smiling. "I thought so." She replied me and she obviously knew who I meant. "Why is he always this grumpy?" I asked her, but was interrupted when some members of the group informed us of a large group of zombies approaching. We all decided to go back instead of killing them off, the risks were too high and our numbers too few. "We'll continue this conversation when we get home. Meet me at the bench near the pond. I'll be waiting for you there." She said and got inside the car. I had to hurry up as well, for the walkers started to come closer and we didn't want to lead them to our community. I got in the back of the car and we drove back to Alexandria.


	6. Negan

I met with Michonne on the spot she said. It was a chilly evening and I was glad I was wearing a woolen sweater. "Are you cold?" Michonne asked me and I could see she wasn't exactly comfortable with the change of season either.  
She was wearing a black leather vest and she seemed a little cold as well. "Only a little, we should stock up some firewood." I replied and she nodded in agreement. "There are some trees nearby we can chop down so we can burn them this winter." She pointed to the forest near the main gate. A thought crossed my mind and I wanted to share my idea with her. "Would it be a solution if we put all people together this winter in a building who can host us all? I know there are some houses without heating." I started and thought about the families who only had electric fires to warm their houses and they didn't have a fireplace. I also thought about Daryl being stubborn, perhaps he would be more open to this idea. "It's not a bad idea actually, but putting all people together in one building could prove a risk as well. What if one gets sick and dies? Nobody to intervene right away and there could be several casualties. It's a lesson we learned the hard way in a place we stayed before." Michonne explained herself, referring to the prison they stayed when the outbreak began and many people died from it. I didn't think about this either, it would prove a risk indeed. "Perhaps only the families without a fireplace? And try to give them a separate room, that should be possible since there are only a couple of houses which only run on electricity." I suggested, not willing to drop this idea without fighting for it. "I'll inform the counsel about your idea, I think it's a very good one and we might convince them." Michonne replied and she couldn't suppress a smile herself when she saw me radiate thanks to this compliment. "You worry about him don't you?" She added and I knew immediately who she was referring to, was it that obvious? "I do, he's really nice and doing a lot for the community, but when I tried to help him by inviting him to my home, he declined my offer and simply walked off. I really don't get it". I explained to her what happened and sighed. 

Michonne seemed to understand my frustration and tried to ease my mind a little. "Don't take this too personal Liz, it's just him being stubborn, I always knew him like this. But things only got worse lately, since he was being imprisoned by Negan. I have no idea what he went through, but it kind of broke him. He doesn't let anyone get close anymore." She patted my shoulder to comfort me. "It's just weird, sometimes I feel like he tries to help me by bringing me stuff. I know he brought me some firewood and left me a rose, he shouldn't do these kind of things if he wants to be left alone. He shouldn't give someone hope and crush it a minute after!" I brought out a bit too harsh and gasped when I realized I said the last part out loud. "So you do like him?" Michonne grinned and started poking me. "I don't know Mich, he seems so distant since that night. He barely speaks to me." I answered and she put her arm around my shoulder. "He's complicated but he will turn around, you'll see. You should have seen him before, what a gruff man he was. Believe me when I tell you he already changed a lot since he joined the community." She comforted me. The things she said seemed to add up to the story Daryl told me when we were in the cabin in the woods. "You're probably right, I hope he changes his mind about staying in that tent." I told her but we all knew he was a stubborn man. We parted ways but didn't see someone standing in the shadows behind us - Daryl Dixon. I walked back to the cottage I was staying in and everything was like before, the rose still in it's vase. I made sure I gave it a prominent spot so Daryl could see it meant a lot to me. I looked outside the window and I could see a fire lit next to where Daryl made camp. "Stupid prick..." I muttered and started warming the leftover from yesterday in the oven. After dinner, I put some logs on the fire and poked it so the cottage would stay warm and got onto the couch, covering myself with a blanket whilst reading a book. A couple of days ago, I wouldn't have dreamed about being able to do this. Happy with how things turned out for me, I fell asleep on the couch. 

I woke in the morning seeing the fireplace was only dimly lit and that I had to add new logs. I carefully placed some into the fire, using some paper to help it set on fire more easily. Once it was done, I went upstairs to wash myself and get dressed. I wore my jeans, black t-shirt and a sweater which was actually a bit too big for me, but it felt very cosy putting it on and it would definitely keep me warm. I was up and about, heading towards the town square where Rick would be waiting to assign us a job. He barely finished his last words until a loud banging sounded on the main gate. Could it be walkers? Everybody headed towards the gate and when we neared it, I could hear a commanding voice demanding to open the gates. I didn't like it one bit, the way he talked to other people and how everyone seemed to be afraid of this guy. Even Rick seemed tense since he heard his voice. Daryl came to me and spoke to me at last. "Get back home, right now!" He urged me and I could hear the gates opening. "No! I'm not going to let some prick order me around! Who does he think he is!" I replied him and couldn't miss a hint of fear in his voice. The gate was open and Daryl stepped in front of me, like he was trying to hide me from whoever came in. "Stay behind me and don't say anything." He whispered to me and I was curious what kind of guy could have this effect on the entire community. 

A man wearing a black leather vest and jeans stepped through the gates and everybody was silent. I saw him swinging a baseball bat, but something was quite off. Did my eyes deceive me? Did he really use barbed wire around it? It appears he had and I saw several people glance at it. "Good morning!" The man shouted and everyone remained silent. "You know why I'm here, I've come to collect what you owe me" He continued like he didn't care about everybody being silent. A cart with several crates and boxes was moved towards the man and his group and he started inspecting the goods. "Good! See, if you all be nice to me, I'll be nice to you." He said and had his men move all the goods into their trucks. He was about to go away when I snorted a little to loud and said "Nice my ass." He immediately turned around to see who said it and his gaze lingered on Daryl. I didn't get it, why didn't Daryl do anything about it?! So I stepped forward and suddenly felt Daryl arms around me. The man with the bat walked into our direction and ignored Daryl completely. "What do we have here?" He asked me with a huge grin on this face. "You mean 'who' do we have here? I'm not a thing!" I replied him in a harsh tone. he still seemed to smile but his attitude had changed, he looked less smug and I didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing. "Pretty big mouth you're having girl, probably something you like ain't it boy?" He patted Daryl's shoulder and I wanted to punch him in the face for saying that, but Daryl held me even closer so I could barely move. "Better keep your girl in check or she might have a visit from Lucille." He continued with a fake smile, a perverse grin coming onto his face as he kept watching me. I didn't know what spurred him on more, me trying to scratch out his eyes or Daryl's submissive behavior like he was a puppy that just got kicked in his gut. 

Rick decided to intervene his play. "She's new here, she still needs to learn how things roll here, apologies for this. It won't happen again." Rick tried to apologize for my behavior. As if! If somebody had to apologize, it would have been that prick! "I hope so Rick, I can't let this pass a second time, you know how things work. It would be a darn shame to ruin her pretty face." The rude man replied him, eyeing me up when he said that. "I promise, just leave her be Negan." Rick still tried to compromise with him, feeling this was still not over. "You know I just had a brilliant idea, perhaps I could take her with me!" He interrupted Rick, enjoying his audience. The guy, who's name was apparently Negan, sure had a talent for drama. Daryl's arms grabbed me even tighter than before and I became even more aware how close we actually were right now. It didn't feel strange though, even being in a situation like this, he made me feel safe. "I could use another wife however, the others are starting to bore me but I get the feeling I would have a lot of fun with this one!" Negan continued and his men started laughing. Now I got scared, I didn't want to leave here. Dammit, I should have kept my mouth shut! My frightened facial expression seemed to be satisfying him. "Nah, guess my old friend here rode her in way too hard already, where's the fun in that?!" He said, looking at Daryl all the time, who seemed to be angry beyond measure. He was all tense and suddenly his grip on me was loose and he stormed off to Negan. He was held down by several of his men before he could even reach him. "What's wrong boy, found a weak spot? Always had a weak spot for broken things did ya? Like your Chinese buddy when Lucille was done with him." Negan tried to get him even more angry and it worked. "Simon!" He called to one of his lieutenants, who came to him immediately. I saw Simon carrying a whip and I could guess what he was trying to do. "No!!" I shouted out as loud as I could, but to no avail. His man ripped off Daryls shirt and Negan whipped him several times. I could see Rick getting angry about this as well, but Michonne hold him down. After a couple of streaks, blood was already sipping down his back and Negan stopped and went away. He said something to Rick which I could not understand and they were on their way again. Everybody looked at Daryl in shock and he was still on the ground, his back and clothes covered in blood. I realized this was all my fault and there was nothing I could ever do to make this right.


	7. Healing

Daryl was in the makeshift hospital in Alexandria, several people tending to his wounds. I once caught a glimpse of his back and it was already scarred, several old scars stretching across his back. I felt sorry for him, that he had to go through this because of me. Not even the main, but also the humiliation. Daryl never spoke a lot, but now he had almost shut down completely and it worried me. There was so much more between him and Negan than he told everyone. Especially when Negan mentioned Glenn. I heard stories of him and he seemed to be a really decent guy, one of the few left in this world. I became aware that I was extremely lucky to have crossed a group like Rick's. After meeting Negan, I didn't want to think about what might have happened if they came across a group like them. I did appreciate Daryl trying to protect me however and it was because of me he was laying in the hospital. He was told he would be able to leave the hospital soon, but that he needed rest and that his wounds needed tending to. I offered to do it, because I was the cause of them but he abruptly refused. He even shouted I had to leave him alone and that I should go home. His words stung and when I left his room, I didn't feel sorry for myself, I pretty much deserved this. He warned me to keep my mouth shut,  I didn't so I should face the consequences. I returned home and I didn't see Daryl for a couple of days. 

One day, Rick appeared at my door and before he could even knock, I opened the door and let him in. "Hey Rick, how are you doing?" I welcomed him and we shook hands. "I'm fine, thanks. I hope it's not much of a bother, but would you mind looking after Daryl for a while?" He asked me. "Sure, not sure he wants it though." I accepted his offer. "He doesn't let anyone else near him, perhaps you could give it a try? Or at least give him some rest, I heard you had a spare room." He continued and I thought about the first time I made Daryl this offer. "Rick, you know I'm ok with it, I mean, it's the least I can do after everything, but I'm pretty sure he hates my gut for the moment." I replied. "Let's try it, I'll get Daryl while you prepare his room." Rick added and I went upstairs to the room next to mine. I made the bed. refreshed the bedding and even added some extra pillows to make him extra comfortable. I went downstairs and I could see Rick in the distance, pushing Daryl to my place in some kind of a wheelchair. I felt even worse for him and pitied him because he had to use the wheelchair. I opened the door for them to come in and Daryl's face was already in a scowl when he saw me. "I'll manage from here, I'm not a cripple!" He muttered but had difficulties steadying himself, probably due to the wounds on his back that were still healing. I offered my arm to support him but he brushed past me as though he didn't see me in the first place. I looked annoyed at Rick and he gave me the 'never mind him' look.

I went upstairs after Daryl and Rick, who did his best to guide Daryl up the stairs and this didn't seem to be an easy feat. Daryl got into the bed and it looked like the small replacement he did really worn him out. He sat up and I immediately put some pillows behind his back. He winced, but seemed to be as comfortable as he could be in his state. Rick gave me the medication Daryl had to take and also some oils and medical supplies that had to be applied to the wounds so they wouldn't fester. I did not look forward to this part, but it was my duty after all. Rick reassured Daryl he was in good hands and soon left on another supply run. I was in the same room with Daryl and he didn't seem in a talkative mood so I left him alone.   
I wanted to take good care of him so I wanted to make him some soup to nurse him back to good health. I used the vegetables I still had left from the lasagna and made him some tomato - vegetable soup. I brought a bowl of soup upstairs and left it on his nightstand, so he could eat it whenever he wanted. I went back downstairs and I could have imagined it, but I thought I heard him whisper 'thank you'.

Every now and then, I went upstairs to check up on him and he seemed ok for he was fast asleep. I was doing chores during the day to keep myself busy. Rick put me off duty as long as Daryl stayed at my place so I could take care of him. Lily's teachings came in handy since I had to change his bandage several times to make sure it didn't fester and clean the wounds. The gruff bowman didn't seem that happy when I had to check his back for the first time, he even flinched when I touched him. I guess he must have been in a lot of pain and I even felt more sorry for him. However, after taking care of his wounds for a couple of times, he seemed more at ease. I woke up at night when I heard him wince quite loud. Daryl's face was covered in sweat and he had thrown the blankets of him. It looked like he was having some kind of fever. "Hey, are you alright?" I asked him, trying to sound calm. He didn't respond and I was wondering if he was in some kind of shock. I went to the bathroom and soaked a piece of cloth in water and went back to Daryl. I sat by his side, right next to him on the bed and started dabbing his forehead so he could cool off a little. It seemed like he was still asleep, turning a bit in his sleep due to the fever he was having. His body was all covered in sweat as well and when I touched his shoulders, they felt way too warm as well. Realizing I didn't have the medical skills and this was more of Lily's field of experience, I missed her even more and wondered how she was doing. To cool him off some more, I started dabbing his upper body with the cloth as well. I could see his muscles contract and I noticed his good physique for the first time. I blushed, a bit ashamed that I would think of such things when he was obviously in pain. After dabbing him for some time, his body seemed to be cooler. I dabbed his face with the wet cloth and gently wiped his sticky hair from his face.

Now that he was calm and asleep, I got the chance to examine his face and he actually looked handsome, especially considering everything he has been through. There was kindness in his stern expression, even though he would never admit it, he cared about his people and he had a good heart. I smiled when I recalled some memories of him trying to make it look like he didn't care, while in fact, he did and I couldn't hold back a smile. I startled when I suddenly saw him look back at me with his bright blue eyes and some strange feeling went through me. Like electricity going through my entire nerve system and I started to blush. I expected a snarky remark but was surprised when he didn't say anything, instead he just kept looking at me. "What?!" I asked him, a bit more harsh than I intended. "Nothin' just looking at ya." He said and his eyes never left mine. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks again and I couldn't stop myself from blushing. "You were having a fever." I told him and he grunted when he tried to sit up. I put some pillow behind his back so he would be more comfortable and when I did so, I saw the bowl on the nightstand was empty. "I'm better' now, thanks." He replied and his eyes followed my every move, even to the point where I felt a bit uncomfortable. "I forgot to tell you earlier but thank you for saving me from him." I tried to start the conversation and he swallowed. "It was nothin' really." He replied and he wasn't entirely honest about this, I had the feeling he wasn't telling me everything that happened with Negan but I didn't mean to pry either. I'm sure he would tell me when he felt ready. "It doesn't look like nothing." I nodded towards his bandages and he looked away from me, staring at some point at the wall. "I should have listened to you, you're in this state because of me and I'm really sorry." I continued and gently took his right hand in mine. He gave me a gentle squeeze and closed his eyes. "Next time, you'll listen to what I tell ya' to do." He replied and I saw the hint of a smile. "Will do." I answered and stayed with him until he fell back asleep again, his hand still in mine.     


	8. - - -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter not ready yet

Daryl stayed several days at the cottage until he got better, but he didn't seem to be very comfortable staying here for a while. I never had the guts to ask him about it, that he didn't like to hang around with me. Although, things had changed since he stayed at my place. He didn't seem that grumpy around me anymore and sometimes, when he forgot to keep his distance, he was even talkative. Which amazed Carol and Rick, who often came to visit him to see if he was doing well. Daryl wasn't just their friend, but also a big part of the Alexandria community, they missed their hunter too. Nobody could match him when it came to his crossbow skills, I wasn't bad myself at aiming and taking a shot, but for Daryl it seemed like it was second nature. The way he could find tracks of even the smallest animals like a squirrel, it left me mesmerized, even found him attractive while he was hunting. I'm not even sure why I felt attracted to him, I used to date guys wearing tailored suits and who seemed to be spending more time in front of the mirror than I did. Perhaps that's also one of the reasons why it never worked out and why the relationship ended after several weeks, with some luck a few months. Daryl never spoke of his previous relationships, I had asked him once out of curiosity, but he avoided the question so I didn't bring it up anymore.

After a couple of days, his back seemed better and he got out of bed before I did to make himself breakfast. I woke up and went downstairs, heading to the kitchen and my stomach turned. He was standing there shirtless and I could see the marks of where Negan struck him with his whip. I had seen some parts of his back when I changed his bandages, but since he couldn't move his upper body a lot, I couldn't see everything and also due to the bad lighting. Now that I could see it from up close, other things unsettled me more. He had several marks across his back which seemed much older. He had burn marks from cigarettes and other objects, he had some deep cuts on his back as well which didn't heal well. I gasped and Daryl suddenly became aware I was standing behind him and froze. "Oh my god, are you ok??" I asked him, seeing the scars on his back and how much pain they must have caused for the first time. He remained silent and I could almost see his thoughts, cursing himself he didn't put on a shirt. "You don't have to talk about it." I continued and he snorted. "Like ya' would understand, ya' lived in a wealthy family, bein' daddy's littl' princess." He spat out. "I don't know what it is to be abused, thank god. And I'm very grateful my family did everything they could to give me my best chances. However, my dad was rarely at home since he was always on business trips and my mom..." I yelled at him but broke a little at my last sentence. "What 'bout her?" He asked me and seemed to notice my distress. "Dad never knew, but she often took pills to keep herself in some kind of haze. It got even worse when she started drinking behind our backs. I found her one day, sitting in their room on the floor. She was totally wasted and could barely speak. I wanted to call the doctor but she didn't let me, said it had to be our little secret." I replied him and he seemed to understand. "Should have told ya' dad." He said after a while and I knew he was right. I wondered how they were doing, if they were still alive."M' dad used to beat us up when he drank." Daryl started and I was glad he wanted to share this with me. He shared some parts of his past back when we met for the first time, but he was always kind of reserved. Staying with me for a while seemed to have changed that and I didn't mind. I loved having him around. "I'm sorry to hear that." I answered him and wanted to comfort him but knew he wouldn't be comfortable if I did. Perhaps it was because I still felt sleepy and couldn't think straight. I couldn't stop myself from going up to him and hugging him from behind, like I did when we were on the motorcycle. He tensed up like he did back then and to my surprise, he relaxed after some seconds, not pushing me away.  What I didn't see is that he was smiling when I threw my arms around him, but Rick did when he approached the cottage from the garden and saw us through the window, me hugging Daryl in the kitchen.  
  
Rick gave a knock on the window and I startled, not expecting anyone this early in the morning, especially when my mind was elsewhere. Daryl sighed and carefully left the embrace, probably because he didn't want to open some wounds now that they were healed. "Hey buddy, how are you?" Rick started and they shook hands. "Feelin' better. Could've been worse." Daryl replied and a look passed between the two of them. Rick smiled for some reason and I had the feeling those two could sometimes communicate without using words. "Thanks for taking good care of him Lizzy." Rick thanked me and gave me a hug. Even though we only knew each other for a couple of weeks, he treated me like I was family, truly a member of the team and community. "Listen bud', I don't wanna rush you, but would you mind going on a supply run when you're better?" Rick continued and I wasn't too pleased to hear this. I didn't think Daryl was ready to go yet, he was still in pain. "Perhaps you can take Liz with you?" Rick suggested and they both shared a look again. I wondered what those two were up to. "Aight' will do." Daryl replied and seemed lost in thought. "There's a small party going on this evening, if you'd like to come, you're most welcome." Rick added, inviting us both and Daryl grunted. "I'd love to get out of the house for once!" I replied Rick, perhaps a bit too excited. The grumpy bowman gave me a stare that spoke numbers. "What, you can stay at home if you like, but I'm going!" I replied him, like I was able to read his mind. "Come on Daryl, it'll do you good to get out of the house too. It's not like you to stay inside for that long." Rick tried to convince him. "It's like fuckin' summercamp in here. What's next, singing songs at the bonfire?" Daryl replied, trying to sound gruff but Rick and I both laughed at his comment. "Don't encourage me Dixon!" I shouted, overexcited for tonight and Daryl just rolled his eyes.

Rick left the cottage and we were on our own again. He got silent again and I almost cursed Rick for interrupting our moment we were having. But then I remembered he invited us to the bonfire and that's exactly what I needed after all these days staying inside. I went upstairs and dressed up a little warmer, so I could go outside for food. "Where are ya' goin'?" Daryl asked me and tried to get up. "Going to get some food and wood, you stay here." I ordered him and he didn't seem to like that. "I'll go with ya'" He said and tried to get his shirt back on but struggled due to the scars. "No, you stay here, I'll get it, you need some more rest. Be right back!" I ordered him again and quickly left the house so he couldn't argue with me anymore. 


End file.
